IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGES IN SUCTION AND MOISTURE REGIME IN HIGHWAY FOUNDATIONS AND EMBANKMENTS

摘要

Any construction activity involving compacted fills requires an understanding of unsaturated soil behavior. Unsaturated soils comprise three phases: soil solids and pores filled with water and air, whereas in saturated soils the pores are completely filled with water only. In over half of the world the water table is at a considerable depth, which means that the construction activity occurs within unsaturated soils. In such situations the vast majority of geotechnical problems arise from ground movements caused by variations in degree of saturation and suction. Construction of highways invariably involves unsaturated compacted materials. Elements of the pavement system, including foundations and embankments, are constructed under unsaturated conditions, which are subject to naturally occurring variations of moisture content and suction. In this paper, implications of changes in suction and moisture regime in highway foundations and embankments are analyzed and discussed.